Game 21 - Missouri State Bears (10-10, 6-4 MVC) vs. UIC Flames (9-12, 1-9 MVC)
Date and Time	Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023 | 7:02 p.m. (Central)
Location	Great Southern Bank Arena (11,000) | Springfield, Missouri
Tickets	Tickets | (417) 836-7678 | Great Southern Bank Arena Box Office
Promotions &       Specials	OTC Night (Free Admission for OTC Students | Half-Price Tickets for OTC Faculty & Staff) Tik-Tok Night (Mini Ring Light) | AD Honor Roll | Wear Maroon | Season Promos
Fan Info	Digital Game Program | Gates open at 6:00 p.m.
Radio	KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live Varsity App
Television	ESPN+ (Tom Ladd, Don West) | Watch
Series	Missouri State Leads 14=4 | Last Meeting: MSU 66, UIC 51 (11/30/22) | Box Score
Live Stats	Live Stats
Game Notes	Missouri State | Southern Illinois | MVC Weekly Notebook | MSU Media Guide
Follow	Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Basketball Twitter | Instagram | #MSUBears | #BearsUnite
Bears Mobile App	App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next	MSU travels to Murray State on Saturday, Jan. 28 | 1 p.m. | Tickets

Accessibility
Missouri State University is committed to providing an accessible and supportive environment for those with disabilities. To request reasonable disability accommodations, contact the Deputy Compliance Officer at (417) 836-6755 or DeputyComplianceOfficer@MissouriState.edu. 

The Ten Count

• Missouri State looks to get back in the winning column Tuesday when the Bears begin the second half of the Valley season by hosting conference newcomer UIC (7 p.m., ESPN+). The Bears have won 4 of their last 5 home games and sit 2 games behind league-leaders Belmont and Southern Illinois. The game is a Maroon designation with special ticket deals for OTC students and staff as part of OTC Night at Great Southern Bank Arena.
• Bears head coach Dana Ford is 49-19 (.721) at Great Southern Bank Arena during his tenure in Springfield.
• MSU's Jonathan Mogbo (Jr., West Palm Beach, Fla.) posted game-highs with 14 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's game vs. Southern Illinois, his third double-double in a 6-game span. In Valley games, Mogbo is averaging 8.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game with a team-best .507 FG percentage.
• Bryan Trimble Jr. (Sr., Kansas City, Mo.) has been MSU's top scorer over the last 3 games, averaging 16.0 points in that span, including a 13-for-30 (.433) clip from 3-point range. His 4.0 rebounds per game in that span is also 4th on the squad. Trimble ranks 80th among active DI players in 3-pointers with 217. 
• The Bears rank 32nd nationally -- and tops in the MVC -- in bench points per game (26.60). MSU also ranks 9th nationally in bench minutes (41.9 pct.) with Bear reserves scoring at least 20 points in 15-of-20 games this season and combining for 30 points on 7 occasions. MSU's bench has outscored its opponent's reserves 17 times this year.
• Donovan Clay (Sr., Alton, Ill.) has posted an assist in 21 straight games and has led MSU in assists 13 times this season, including 3.9 assists per game in MVC games. His 72 assists this season is a new career best (surpassing his 63 at Valpo in 2020-21). He is on pace to become MSU's first 100-assist performer since 2018-19 (Josh Webster).
• In the first meeting between the Bears and UIC earlier this season (Nov. 30), Missouri State had 10 blocks and 11 steals, the first time the Bears had reached double figures in both categories since Nov. 16, 2007 vs. Harding.
• MSU ranks 31st nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 62.7 points per game this season (62.2 in MVC games). The Bears are also surrendering just 57.0 points per game at home this season.
• In the first 10 games this season, MSU's top scorers were Chance Moore (14.2 ppg), Alston Mason (9.2), Donovan Clay (8.0) and Kendle Moore (7.7). In the 10 games since then, the top-scoring Bears have been Clay (12.5), Bryan Trimble Jr. (12.0), Dalen Ridgnal (10.9) and Jonathan Mogbo (9.8). Since Dec. 16 (last 10 games), the Bears have improved 5.7 points per game overall and shooting 3.1 percent better from the field.
• Over the last 3 games, Missouri State is shooting 75.0 percent from the foul line (33-of-44) and 38.6 percent from 3-point range (27-for-70) with a +4.3 rebound margin.
• Kendle Moore (So., Danville, Ill.) needs ONE 3-pointer for 200 in his career (140 games), which currently ranks 104th among active players. He also needs 18 points to reach the 1,200-point milestone in his collegiate career. 
• The Bears have scored 38.00 percent of their points this season from 3-point range, which is 25th-best in the country and 2nd in the MVC (behind Belmont). MSU is averaging 9.0 threes per game over the last 3 games.   

The Series

• Missouri State leads the all-time series with UIC, 14-4. The Bears are 9-0 at home all-time against the Flames, but the teams have never met at Great Southern Bank Arena. The Bears are also 5-3 in Chicago against UIC. 
• The teams were members of the Mid-Continent Conference together from 1984 to 1990.
• Earlier this season in Chicago (11/30/22), Missouri State got 17 points apiece Donovan Clay and Chance Moore, dominated the glass and used a solid defensive effort to turn back home standing UIC, 66-51, in the Valley opener. The Bears racked up 11 steals, 10 blocks and out-rebounded the Flames by a 50-40 margin to overcome a rough shooting effort. The Bears scored 42 points in the paint and registered 14 points on fast break situations to keep the home club at arm's length most of the second half after leading by six at the break. UIC was led by Jace Carter's 15 points, while Jalen Jackson scored 14.  | Box Score
• Prior to UIC joining the MVC this season, the most-recent meeting between the teams was also tThe only neutral-site game in the series (12/21/01) at Valley High School in Las Vegas. UIC shot an even 50-percent from the field in an 86-80 win over Barry Hinson's Bears. Cedrick Banks scored 24 points (12-of-13 free throws), while Jordan Kardos scored 14 for UIC. The Bears tried to overcome 19 turnovers with 18 points by Terrance McGee and 14 from Mike Wallace. McGee made 4-of-5 threes, helping MSU go 10-of-19 from distance and shoot .560 overall. Daniel Novak also pumped in 12 points for MSU. 

Coach Dana Ford

• Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 82-61 (.573) in his fifth season as Missouri State head coach, including a 49-19 ledger at Great Southern Bank Arena, 26-31 record in away games, and 7-11 mark at neutral sites. He is now 139-126 (.525) in his ninth season as a head coach, including four seasons at Tennessee State. Ford is also 50-32 in Valley games (26-15 at home, 24-17 away). 
• Coach Ford is 1-0 vs. UIC (0-0 at home).
• He picked up his 100th career victory on Feb. 7, 2021 with a Bears' win at Illinois State (72-62) and coached his 100th game at Missouri State on Dec. 15, 2021 vs. South Dakota State. His win over Oakland on Nov. 27 in The Bahamas was his 75th victory at MSU, while his OT victory at Drake (1/18/23) was his 50th MVC win.
• CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein listed Missouri State head coach Dana Ford among his "20 coaches on the rise entering the 2022-23 college basketball season."
• In a breakout 2021-22 campaign, Missouri State finished the season as one of the nation's most-efficient offensive teams, ranking 2nd nationally in free throw percentage (.797), 14th in field goal percentage (.482) and 23rd in 3-point FG percentage (.374) -- the only DI team to rank in the top 25 in all three. KenPom also rated the Bears 21st in effective FG percentage (54.6) and 23rd in adjusted offensive efficiency (113.2). MSU led the MVC in all of those metrics, except 3-point percentage, while also leading The Valley in scoring (77.3) and turnovers per game (10.6), which ranked 38th and 34th in the country, respectively.
• Likewise, the 2021-22 Bears finished as runners-up in the Missouri Valley Conference, racking up a 23-11 overall record and 13-5 record in the league. The Bears' season win total was the program's most since 2011 and the 10th-best in team history. The squad advanced to the MVC Tournament semifinals for the third straight year and also represented The Valley in the NIT in Ford's first postseason tournament showing at MoState. The Bears also set team records for 3-point field goals (283) while boasting two first-team all-conference players in the school's all-time best scoring tandem – Gaige Prim and Isiaih Mosley -- while Donovan Clay earned MVC All-Defensive Team honors, and Isaac Haney landed on the MVC All-Freshman Team. Jaylen Minnett was also named to the MVC All-Bench squad.
• For the third time in his head coaching career, Ford was a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season.
• He was introduced as Missouri State's 18th men's basketball coach on March 22, 2018 after coaching the previous four seasons at Tennessee State. The native of Tamms, Illinois was 57-65 (.467) at Tennessee State, including a 52-39 ledger in his last three seasons in Nashville. He coached five All-OVC players and two OVC All-Newcomer Team selections during his tenure at TSU. Under his leadership, TSU doubled its home attendance average and twice earned votes in the AP Top 25 poll in 2016-17. 
• Ford, 38, earned the Ben Jobe Award in 2016 as the nation's top Division I minority coach. That same year, he was named Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year and NABC District 19 Coach of the Year after engineering one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA history, from a 5-26 record in his first season to a 20-11 mark in 2015-16.
•  He has served as an assistant at Tennessee State, Wichita State and Illinois State and was responsible for recruiting future NBA talents such as Robert Covington (Trail Blazers) and Fred Van Vleet (Raptors).

Rebound Foundation

• Bears' head coach Dana Ford and his wife, Christina, are founders of the Rebound Foundation. The not-for-profit raises funds and awareness to help renew and restore women who have experienced a life of domestic abuse. The foundation provides a stable home and fresh start to abuse victims and their children. The Rebound Foundation currently provides homes in Springfield, Mo., and Chicago, Ill.
• Pledge to assist the Rebound Challenge today!  Pledge Link
• This year's Rebound Foundation Game is Tuesday, Feb. 21 vs. Murray State